Just four years ago, Ben Simmons received his first ever vote for the NBA Most Valuable Player award and was the runner-up in the NBA Defensive Player of the Year voting. 

At the time, he was still just 24 years old and making the natural progression that was expected from a former first overall pick. He averaged 14.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 1.6 steals in 32.4 minutes per game that season as he emerged as one of the open court players in the league. 

However, that ultimately turned out to be the high point of his career.

The Philadelphia 76ers were infamously upset by the Atlanta Hawks in the second round of the 2021 NBA postseason in a seven-game series that has lived on in history as the beginning of Simmons’ career downfall. In the fourth quarter of Game 7, the 6’9 Simmons was wide open right in front of the basket, but refused to dunk the ball and instead decided to pass to Matisse Thybulle. Several members of the Sixers, including head coach Doc Rivers and franchise player Joel Embiid, were far from supportive of Simmons in the post game press conference.

Come the next season, the three-time NBA All-Star Simmons staged a holdout. He did not play another game for Philadelphia–eventually citing mental health issues–and was eventually traded to the Brooklyn Nets in February 2022. The next time Simmons suited up for an NBA game was October 2022– almost a year and a half after his incident against Atlanta.

By this time, Simmons was a mere shell of himself. His confidence had evaporated and his hesitation on the court made him a liability. In the three seasons since his Brooklyn debut, he has not averaged more than seven points per game, dwindling from a budding superstar into a meme. 

With training camp for the ‘25-’26 season right around the corner, Simmons is still without a team and it has recently been reported that he is considering retirement at the age of 29.

At this point, it may be in the best interest of Simmons to call it a career. He has already made over $200 million from his NBA contracts which should be more than enough to sustain him for the rest of his life. The dropoff in his on-court impact makes him unplayable and he only exposes himself to more mockery if he continues playing in the NBA. Given his mental health issues, some time away from the spotlight should do him well.

Simmons, who was once tagged as an exciting young prospect who could become a modern version of Magic Johnson, will ultimately be remembered for his lost potential more than anything else. What he could have been looms large over the commendable yet underwhelming (Given the context of his athletic abilities, etc.) results of his career. 

Whether or not he actually does retire from the NBA, his career has already been long over since that faithful night in Philadelphia when he passed up that dunk against the Hawks. Ben Simmons could have made a lasting mark on the league, but instead, he will go down as just another footnote and cautionary tale in the vast history of the NBA.